Tendonitis from shooting...

[Axman]

Hey guys, I seemed to have developed a pretty decent case of tendonitis from shooting and stick handling practice. When I'm playing or doing drills it doesn't seem to bother me but afterwards I get a dull pain in the outside of my elbow. It actually hinders me from lifting some things up and using it.
Does anyone have any experience with this? I don't want it to degenerate into a situation where I can't play or shoot for like two months...

Any help or advice would be appreciated!

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[1Knee1T]

I had tendonitis from baseball a few years ago. The doc put me in a sling for 5 days and I was fine after. There's no harm in keeping it in for an extra day or two if you think you need it.

 

[IDuck]

i had it too (atleast thats what the dr. said it was) but it was during my accademy and the only time i noticed it was during push ups and it more so just felt like spider webs getting pulled through it...it felt weird as hell

 

[coffeebreak]

I've had this as well. I wonder if stick flex has something to do with it as well.

On the outside of the elbow it should be lateral epicondylitis, golfer's elbow. Need to get rest and maybe strengthen the forearm?

 

[Gino 14]

Hey guys, I seemed to have developed a pretty decent case of tendonitis from shooting and stick handling practice. When I'm playing or doing drills it doesn't seem to bother me but afterwards I get a dull pain in the outside of my elbow. It actually hinders me from lifting some things up and using it.
Does anyone have any experience with this? I don't want it to degenerate into a situation where I can't play or shoot for like two months...

Any help or advice would be appreciated!

If you're truly concerned, see a doctor.

 

[Badger36]

Ive had it happen to me from playing golf a lot. Rest for a few days and you should be fine.

 

[Jimmy Carter]

Sounds like you should work on some other skills during practice

 

[Jarick]

If it's more pain in the forearms, just do some stretching and loosen up before and after practice. If it's in the elbow, it's too stiff a stick. When you shoot and try to dig into the ice, you're putting all this force and pressure from your forward motion and lower body/core strength into the stick, but if the stick is too stiff to flex it will transfer that force into your joints causing pain.

What flex are you using and what's your height/weight?

I had that when I first started using an 87 flex cut down and I'm only 5'8 so it was about 115 flex or so. I got one of those tennis elbow straps and it helped a little, but after switching to 70-ish flex sticks I've never had the problem again.

 

[hsing]

I've had this as well. I wonder if stick flex has something to do with it as well.

On the outside of the elbow it should be lateral epicondylitis, golfer's elbow. Need to get rest and maybe strengthen the forearm?

Not to nitpick but it would be a tennis elbow.

 

[Axman]

Thanks for the replies; this might be due to overuse. I took a couple days off ( I'm usually on the ice about 3x a week for about two hours each time) and it felt fine. I go back out a shoot a bunch of pucks and it feels ok during the workouts but feels dull pain when I'm doing simple lifting about two hours later when I cool down. I recently got an EZ goal with the shooting backstop and shooting pad and use it constantly. I just hate to take more than a week off because I just love playing.

@ hockey champ... You make a good point with stick flex. I'm using an 87 flex and I have cut it a couple inches but I'm 6 ft and 205 so I don't think that be too much of an issue. If I used an intermediate, I'd probably snap it in two in no time.

 

[Muttley*]

Hey guys, I seemed to have developed a pretty decent case of tendonitis from shooting and stick handling practice. When I'm playing or doing drills it doesn't seem to bother me but afterwards I get a dull pain in the outside of my elbow. It actually hinders me from lifting some things up and using it.
Does anyone have any experience with this? I don't want it to degenerate into a situation where I can't play or shoot for like two months...

Any help or advice would be appreciated!

Happens to my wrists and elbows. With me, it came as I aged. I also lift weights, so that also puts stress on my joints.

I mean it hurts, but you become accustomed to it and just play through it. Taking ibuprofen helps me, especially before I go to sleep. It helps with the inflammation.

If it gets really bad, you really have to take diligent care of it with heat & ice.

Be prepared for the fact that it might never go away.

 

[Axman]

Happens to my wrists and elbows. With me, it came as I aged. I also lift weights, so that also puts stress on my joints.

I mean it hurts, but you become accustomed to it and just play through it. Taking ibuprofen helps me, especially before I go to sleep. It helps with the inflammation.

If it gets really bad, you really have to take diligent care of it with heat & ice.

Be prepared for the fact that it might never go away.

Yeah, I take Motrin before and after I play. My younger brother was having the same problem and he allowed it to get to the point where he was getting cortisone shots for it. Now he's getting rehabilitation on it where they have to break up the scar tissue in his elbow to get it to heal. Id rather play through it but I don't want it to get so bad that I have to take off a couple months because of the damage I did...

 

[Jive Time]

Axman,

Do not underestimate the severity of overuse injuries like tendinitis. The lack of blood flow in the area of tendons limits the speed of recovery. Take a little time off from the activities that are causing aggravation of your forearm.

The older you get the easier the tendons are to damage and the longer it takes to recover. I have struggled with tendinitis in both my elbow and shoulder for years now and like Muttley stated, be prepared for it to never go away.

My point is, listen to what your body is telling you and take a break because tendon issues are not something you can simply power through. Two weeks off is way better than 6 months. As others have said, look up some simple stretching techniques for your particular condition. For initial flare-ups, rest, ibuprofen and ice are your best bet.

Finally, consider steroid injections like cortisone as a last resort. This procedure is widely considered to permanently damage the tendon which will actually leave it weaker than when you started. It's a short term gain will long term ramifications.

I wish you well.

 

[Axman]

Thanks for the advice Zephyr, I'd rather be playing but as you said I suppose resting it is the best solution.

 

[maci4life]

I have the same problem. if i take a few slap shots, my elbow flares up quickly, almost to the point that i can't grip the stick anymore ( bottom hand on the stick, not top ).

queue in my therapy work in progress. This will help strengthen your grip, wrists and forearms, and is supposed to help with elbow problems. It definately warms up the elbow enough for the regular pains, although i'm not sure if it's going to stop the flare ups. Haven't used it long enough, and have taken a slap shot to test it out.

http://www.powerballs.com/rehab.php?m=Benefits

you'll be suprised at how much force this thing generates for it's size.

 

[Axman]

I have the same problem. if i take a few slap shots, my elbow flares up quickly, almost to the point that i can't grip the stick anymore ( bottom hand on the stick, not top ).

queue in my therapy work in progress. This will help strengthen your grip, wrists and forearms, and is supposed to help with elbow problems. It definately warms up the elbow enough for the regular pains, although i'm not sure if it's going to stop the flare ups. Haven't used it long enough, and have taken a slap shot to test it out.

http://www.powerballs.com/rehab.php?m=Benefits

you'll be suprised at how much force this thing generates for it's size.

Thanks for the tip! I will have to check this thing out. Let me know how you come along with it...

 

[Cams]

Axman, and more for maci4life, how is your technique? For someone to say they get flare ups after only a couple slap shots - my first instinct is to question if that person is using proper technique when shooting.... just a suggestion.

You can practice as long as you want, as often as you want, but if you are using poor technique you will not get the desired results, plus you honestly risk hurting yourself.

As others have said - listen to your body and take a break.

 

[BadHammy*]

Wrist tendinitis can occur pretty quickly, so be careful. If you feel pain, stop. If you need to take a month or two off, do it because the long-term risk isn't worth it.